Alex Johnson opens up about his time in the Swans’ ‘dungeon’ following his ACL injuries
WHEN comeback hero Alex Johnson acknowledged his time spent in ‘The Dungeon’ you could tell it’s a place you don’t want to be. NEIL CORDY goes inside Sydney’s unique rehab centre.
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THERE’S no torture rack or manacles, just four stark walls and an assortment of boxing bags, exercise bikes and yoga mats.
But make no mistake, the Sydney Swans’ “dungeon” has earnt its name for inflicting pain on those sent there.
And none more so than Alex Johnson, who spent five years of his life in one of the most mentally challenging environments a sportsman can face.
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From 2013, Johnson suffered through five reconstructions and 13 surgeries on his long road back, which continues on Sunday against Melbourne at the MCG.
Callum Mills earnt his ticket to the dungeon after breaking his foot stepping on a drain behind the SCG members stand.
As inhospitable as the recovery room is now it was far worse when Johnson found his way there almost six years ago.
“Before I was there it was a black room with no windows and no mirrors,” Mills said.
“It’s downstairs under the SCG so it’s very dungeonesque, without the manacles and the rack.”
The colours are different and there are some windows and mirrors now but it’s still a forbidding place. Mills says it’s the company which either makes or breaks the experience.
“The players you’re with either make the dungeon great or a bit harder,” Mills said.
“We’ve got a good group; I’m in there with Sam Reid, Lewis Melican and Matt Ling at the moment. It’s certainly no place you want to be there by yourself. When you first get injured it’s a massive shock to the system, it hits you for six really.
“The only way forward is to be positive when you are in there and help each other through.”
Reid has been a long-termer in the dungeon with his ongoing soft tissue injuries but he has nothing on Johnson, who is the self-described ‘rehab guru’.
The Swans have joked the dungeon should be named after him because of the hours and sweat he’s expelled there.
“He was the leader down there for a lot of people,” Mills said. “For people who didn’t know how to train he was the one who showed the way.
“The impressive thing about AJ was he never had a word of complaint. It was never ‘poor me’.
“It’s almost scary in a way that he was down there for so long and stayed positive. He is one of the most resilient people I’ve ever met and one of the most courageous. To see him come back was amazing and to play so well was pretty special.”
The two-point win over Collingwood in Johnson’s return last week has become an instant classic for Swans fans and the club.
“There was something special about that game,” Mills said.
“One, our season was on the line and two that Alex had come back. We weren’t going to lose. It was almost a release after the game and an enormous celebration.”
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